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Stigma Of Incarceration And Motivation Of Undergraduate Students For Service-Learning, Kapil Sharma

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

Incarceration can be a long-lasting, stigmatizing life event that significantly impacts one's life and limits ex-offenders in various aspects of their life. The impact of widespread criminal records can obstruct reentry, economic stability, and full participation in society, whether minor, major, old, or new. The study aims to explore the stigma attached to incarceration and the motivation of undergraduate students for Service-Learning. Based on responses from three semi-structured interviews with students interns of the Records Clearance Project of San Jose State University, it was evident that after completing their sentences, ex-offenders come into many barriers that may prevent them from …

Faith-Based Addiction Treatment Programs And The Drug Courts, Christopher J. Boosey

Liberty University Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy

Addiction treatment programs are a major part of the Drug Courts system as under this system, addiction treatment and rehabilitation are used in an attempt to address the root causes of crime with the intent to reducing recidivism rates. Trends in research are beginning to show that faith-based addiction treatment programs are more effective than comparable secular programs. However, there are constitutional issues that prevent these programs being awarded by the drug courts without a comparable, secular alternative. This essay reviews relevant research on the comparable efficacy of faith-based and secular addiction programs and the constitutional issues related to the …

Indigenous Reintegrative Shaming: A Comparison Of Indigenous Legal Traditions Of Canada And Braithwaite's Theory Of Reintegrative Shaming, Emily Sinclair

Bridges: An Undergraduate Journal of Contemporary Connections

Upon the arrival of European settlers in Canada, Indigenous legal traditions have continuously been undermined as customary law with an insignificant role in crime prevention and sanctioning. This paper will argue that Indigenous legal traditions deserve a larger role in Indigenous self-governance as their customs demonstrate aspects of crucial crime prevention theories such as Braithwaite’s theory of reintegrative shaming. The interconnection between reintegrative shaming and Indigenous legal traditions pre-contact and post-contact demonstrate concepts of community socialization, informal sanctions and restorative practices that foster the wellbeing of the community, victims and offenders. As such, Braithwaite’s theory demonstrates the importance of each …

Reflective Writing In Prisons: Rehabilitation And The Power Of Stories And Connections, Sandeep Kumar

VA Engage Journal

The United States has the highest rate of incarceration in the world. Even though the rate of crime is dropping, incarceration rates remain fairly steady. What’s more, recidivism (i.e., re-offending after conviction for other crimes) is also very high in the US. If offenders continue to offend, even after completing their sentences in a correctional system designed to address their underlying criminal activity, what is the point of having such a system? Can the system be made more accountable and better? Have we considered all the options for criminal reform? This article explores these questions using effective rehabilitation principles to …

Reviewing The Literature On Staff Misconduct And Specific Responsivity, Ernest M. Oleksy

The Downtown Review

Incarceration is a trying time for inmates as they are punished for crimes they committed while free in society. Beyond the legitimate punishment of being imprisoned, inmates may face illegitimate punishment at the hands of prison staff, ranging from ridicule to physical and sexual violence. Apart from the obvious corruption and immorality involved in staff misconduct, such deviance can also result in a dampened responsivity to reentry programming efforts that strive to keep inmates out of prison. In this literature review, I investigate, summarize, and synthesize the corpus that is relevant to how staff misconduct can be a negative specific …

Prison Rehabilitation: The Sociological, Physiological, And Psychological Effects Of Animal-Assisted Interventions, Daisy Corleto

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

This paper examines animal-assisted interventions as a new form of rehabilitation in the prison setting. It focuses specifically on the multiple benefits that this form of therapy/intervention can bring to inmates, such as the reduction in recidivism and the acquirement of new skills. Additionally, this paper considers the reasons for which rehabilitation in general is necessary in order to truly transform an individual. The first section provides a brief history of AAI in the prison environment and its effects on the prisoners. The paper then transitions to an account of analyzing the sociological, physiological, and psychological effects of AAI on …

The First Year Of The San Bernardino Restorative Youth Court, John M. Winslade

Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice

The San Bernardino Restorative Youth Court was established by the San Bernardino City Unified School District school board and has operated for one school year (2015-16). The purpose of this article is to document what has happened in this year and to begin to address questions about the value of the youth court for those for whom it aims to make a difference. Data collated are at this point preliminary but some tentative conclusions can be drawn, even at this early stage. Here we shall outline these data and the conclusions that are suggested by them. The best available measure …

Ab 109 And Its Impact On Prison Overcrowding And Recidivism: A Policy Analysis, Angie Wootton

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

California experienced escalating issues with prison overcrowding from the late 1970s to 2010, as the prison population skyrocketed to unprecedented highs. This article will discuss the problem of prison overcrowding, and one recent policy intervention implemented to decrease overcrowding and offender recidivism rates, the Public Safety Realignment Act (AB 109). After providing background on the Public Safety Realignment Act, this article will analyze the effectiveness of the policy and make recommendations.

Recidivism And The Convict Labor Market: A Cross-Country Comparison Of Recidivism Trends In For-Profit Prisons, Alex T. Basinger

DISCOVERY: Georgia State Honors College Undergraduate Research Journal

Throughout the United States, United Kingdom, China, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, prisoners are employed for less than $1 per hour in agriculture, manufacturing, public works projects, and dozens of other industries. The privately owned prison companies Corrections Corporation of America, G4S, Sodexo Justice Services, and Serco vie for government contracts to build, staff, and regulate prisons and prisoners. Other entities, such as China’s Laogai and The USA’s Federal Prison Industries, are ingrained into the national government. Prisoner labor produces billions of dollars in goods and services every year. When crime and recidivism increase, for-profit prisons receive inexpensive laborers. This …

The Punishment Should Fit The Crime—Not The Prior Convictions Of The Person That Committed The Crime: An Argument For Less Impact Being Accorded To Previous Convictions, Mirko Bagaric

San Diego Law Review

The seriousness of the offense is the main consideration that should determine the severity of criminal punishment. This cardinal sentencing principle is undermined by the reality that often the criminal history of the offender is the most decisive sentencing consideration. Recidivists are frequently sent to imprisonment for long periods for crimes, which, when committed by first-time offenders, are dealt with by a bond, probation, or a fine. This makes sentencing more about an individual’s profile than the harm caused by the offender and has contributed to a large increase in prison numbers. Intuitively, it feels right to punish repeat offenders …

The Sexual History Polygraph Examination And Its Influences On Recidivism, Roger Cook, William Barkley, Peter B. Anderson

Journal of Sustainable Social Change

The polygraph in postconviction sex offender testing is used to assist in the treatment and supervision of convicted sex offenders by more than 70% of the jurisdictions that supervise these offenders in the United States. Prior researchers have failed to convincingly demonstrate how the polygraph can be used to target risk behaviors and reduce recidivism. Consequently, the use of the sexual history polygraph examination (SHPE) has not been demonstrated to reduce recidivism. We sought answers as to how the SHPE influences the behaviors of sexual offenders required to undergo a SHPE, and whether or not there is a difference in …

Studies On Religion And Recidivism: Focus On Roxbury, Dorchester, And Mattapan, George Walters-Sleyon

Trotter Review

This research article raises the question of whether religion can be considered a viable partner in the reduction of the high rate of recidivism associated with the increasing mass incarceration in the United States. Can sustainable transformation in the life of a prisoner or former prisoner as a result of religious conversion be subjected to evidenced-based practices to derive impartial conclusions about the value of religion in their lives? With a particular focus on three neighborhoods of Boston—Roxbury, Dorchester, and Mattapan—this study examines the relevance of religion and faith-based organizations in lowering the high rate of recidivism associated with incarceration …

Delinquents After Exile: A Review Of Aftercare Programs, Jeremy Olson, Daniel R. Lee

Contemporary Issues in Juvenile Justice

No abstract provided.

Prevention As The Primary Goal Of Sentencing: The Modern Case For Indeterminate Dispositions In Criminal Cases, Christopher Slobogin

San Diego Law Review

This Article contends that properly constituted, indeterminate sentencing is both a morally defensible method of preventing crime and the optimal regime for doing so, at least for crimes against person and most other street crimes.

More specifically, the position defended in this Article is that, once a person is convicted of an offense, the duration and nature of sentence should be based on a back-end decision made by experts in recidivism reduction, within broad ranges set by the legislature. Compared to determinate sentencing, the sentencing regime advanced in this Article relies on wider sentence ranges and explicit assessments of risk, …

Correctional System Needs, Susan S. Cole

IUSTITIA

One of the most difficult and pressing problems now facing local, state and national leaders is the failure of the criminal justice system. There is ample evidence of the system's failure: during the years 1960 to 1969, when the population increased by 13%, crime increased 1487,' and it is still increasing. Yet, correctional institutions do not appear to be places where criminal behavior is changed or where offenders are rehabilitated. They appear to be, instead, places where offenders are exposed to the most advanced criminal techniques and the most extreme anti-social behavior. Recidivism rates are estimated as high as 8070.